Odoo is an excellent business management solution that provides you with all the tools you need to continue operations without delays or inefficiencies.
While it is easy to use, it does require technical expertise should you wish to customize and integrate it in a specific way.
This is why you should get an Odoo consultant for your business.
An ideal Odoo consultant makes Odoo implementation quick and smooth, helping you optimize business processes and reduce costs.
Here’s what you should consider before hiring an Odoo consultant.
Key Takeaways
- Epicor ERP streamlines business operations for better efficiency
- It supports multiple deployment options: cloud, on-premise, and hybrid
- The system offers strong financial, supply chain, production, and project management tools
- Customization is possible but requires technical expertise
- Implementation can be costly and time-consuming, so businesses need expert support for a smooth transition to ERP Epicor
Odoo and its benefits for your e-commerce business
Odoo is multi-purpose, which means that it is an all-in-one solution for businesses looking to centralize their operations.
So, whether you want to manage inventory or handle your finances, this platform will allow you to do both. And it isn’t limited to just finance and inventory management – you can use it to run sales operations, order processing, warehouse management, and more.
It is a highly customizable system that lets you connect different applications. What is so great about Odoo is that you can choose to add and delete applications as your business grows.
And don’t worry because it’s not like you have to pay an additional cost to access more applications. You can access them all at a single fee.
In fact, if you only want to access one of its applications, say, its accounting software, you can get it for free through its one-app plan.
Being an open-source ERP, Odoo gets constant updates to add more features and make it more secure.
One of the main reasons why businesses use an ERP like Odoo is that it increases operational efficiency and reduces silos.
This happens because all of your business data is accessible through a centralized database and it is updated in real-time.
It means that whenever you make a sale, you get to see its impact on your inventory levels and business transactions. It creates room for collaboration as departments work together and are connected through shared information.
Here are three reasons why Odoo would add value to your business.
73% of small to medium-sized businesses experience delayed payments that hurt their cash flow.
- With Odoo, you can send automated payment reminders to your customers and clients. It eliminates the need for you to send payment reminders individually, saving you time and unnecessary hassle.
- Another important reason why your business needs Odoo is to improve inventory accuracy.
With almost 62% of manufacturers reporting to have less than 80% accuracy in inventory levels, it is high time that you prioritize it.
When you have the right numbers, you can make decisions faster. You can also improve your workflow and customer buying experience.
Wouldn’t it be frustrating for your customers to add a product to their cart only to find out later that it’s already sold out?
We all understand how annoying it is to get late deliveries. Would it be justified on your behalf if you shipped a product later just because you didn’t have it ready in your inventory?
When you know exactly how much inventory you have, and you sync those numbers with your online store, you avoid a lot of problems.
Odoo connects your e-commerce store with your inventory to give you the exact numbers, creating convenience and efficiency.
And the third reason you should be integrating Odoo into your business is to manage projects.
Odoo has everything you want from a solid project management software. It has features to create user-based roles.
You can track projects from start to finish. It allows you to view progress through Kanban boards. You can customize it in different colors and give access to relevant parties.
4 steps to hiring an Odoo consultant
When you know how valuable Odoo is for your business, you understand the need to hire the right Odoo consultant.
1. Evaluate business needs
Before you bring on board an Odoo consultant, it is important to look within your organization. It will help you figure out your pain points, allowing you to set measurable goals.
You can start by evaluating different business processes. What is it that you want to improve? Is it poor communication, repetitive administrative tasks, or lack of financial clarity?
By pointing out problems, you can have a clear goal in mind. So, whether you want to reduce cost or increase revenue, make sure that you give your goal a specific number.
A quantifiable goal is always better as it allows you to see how successful you were in achieving your goal.
And with this detailed evaluation, you will know exactly what you are looking for in an Odoo consultant.
2. Search for Odoo consultants
You can start your search by looking up online or seeking peer reviews. You will find many freelance Odoo consultants or accounting services like Ledger Labs that offer Odoo consultancy.
While it may seem convenient to hire a freelance consultant, it is better if you look for someone with the expertise to handle your project specifically.
Here’s what you need to look for in the ideal candidate:
- Evaluate the projects your candidate has handled from start to finish. See whether or not they have experience in your industry. And most importantly, the right candidate would understand the complexity of your Odoo implementation project. So you want to see whether they have similar experiences.
- You can ask for testimonials and review their past projects. You must pay attention to the size and scope of projects that they have handled in the past. It will give you clarity on their technical background and the ability to deliver results.
3. Interview candidates
Once you have shortlisted candidates on the basis of their experience you can get to know them more personally.
It is important to have a list of questions ready when you start the interviewing process. Make sure you include a broad range of questions, from their experience to individual approaches to handling this project.
Get to know how long they have been using Odoo. You can ask them whether or not they have earned any Odoo certification.
It is important to ask them to explain how they approach an Odoo implementation to create customized workflows.
See how well they plan projects and if their approach aligns with your way of working. It is important for like-minded individuals to work together for better communication and collaboration.
You can discuss your Odoo implementation details and ask them how they would handle the project. This will help you determine whether or not they can meet your specific expectations. And if they are capable of handling the challenges that come along.
When you sit down and have a lengthy discussion with a candidate, you get to see their communication style and responsiveness. And then you can compare it with the reviews you’ve gotten through peer reviews.
4. Get proposals
When you shortlist candidates based on the interviews, ask them to send you proposals so that you can pick the best offer from the lot.
Now, you can expect to see the following components in a proposal:
- Scope of the project
- Project cost and service price
- Terms and conditions
- Deliverables with expected timelines
- Project overview
In the next step, you will compare all the proposals to see which one fits your needs.
Then you will negotiate certain terms and conditions to come to an arrangement that works for both you and the Odoo consultant.
Once both of you have reached a conclusion, you can create a contract to make it official.
In this contract, you can mention who gets the intellectual property rights, add specific confidentiality clauses, and timeline for deliverables.
3 red flags to watch out for when hiring an Odoo consultant
Getting the right Odoo consultant makes a lot of difference. Here are some of the red flags that you must watch out for.
- During the interviewing process, if you find any Odoo consultant being too vague in their responses, the chances are they are winging it. You want someone with clarity.
- Avoid hiring a candidate who is over-promising and giving you unrealistic guarantees.
- You should avoid hiring Odoo consultants who lack experience in your industry, regardless of how well they have done in other industries.
3 best practices for hiring an Odoo consultant
While hiring the right Odoo consultant is important, working in collaboration and following the best practices is equally important in determining the fate of your Odoo implementation.
- Make sure you create and maintain effective communication throughout the project. So use an official channel of communication, like email or other project management tools. It ensures everything gets recorded and no information gets lost in translation.
- Before you start the implementation process, make sure you set goals and objectives for every phase of the project. It should be a collaborative approach so that every stakeholder feels pride and takes ownership. When everyone is working towards the same goals, it makes the work fun and easy to accomplish.
- Assign responsibilities before you begin. This way, you know who is supposed to do what. It also helps you identify areas for improvement should you face any delays.
The bottom line
It isn’t important to hire the most popular Odoo developer. Instead, what you are looking for is someone who understands your business and has the expertise to meet your specific needs.
You want an Odoo consultant who can help you choose applications and simplify the implementation process.
And most importantly, this Odoo consultant should meet your budget and other project-related requirements.
Ledger Labs, with 12+ years of experience, has helped businesses across industries with Odoo integration and accounting.
We use advanced tools to improve the implementation process and give you peace of mind.
Book a consultation appointment to find out how we can help you.
